Welcome to Arlington's Civil War Memorial Website

This is Long Bridge, the predecessor to the 14th Street Bridge. It spanned the Potomac during the Civil War. In the distance, rural Arlington (then called Alexandria County) was little more than trees and farms. In the foreground, Union troops stood guard 24 hours a day to prevent rebel troops from storming into the capital city.

The sesquicentennial of the Civil War is being marked from 2011 through 2015. This website tells about Arlington's role in the war and it describes events being held all over Northern Virginia.

But why not start out by trying our two-minute quiz. We bet you'll be surprised by some of the answers!

A Union blockhouse stands near the Arlington end of the Aqueduct Bridge, the predecessor to Key Bridge. Behind the blockhouse is the no-longer existing canal that George Washington championed. Only barely visible over the trees is the stump of the Washington Monument, on which construction had halted.

Union troops stand on Mason's Island, now Theodore Roosevelt Island. Georgetown is visible across the river. Aqueduct Bridge spans the river near where Key Bridge now stands. On the left is the ferry between Georgetown and Arlington.